Baseball game



NW, 22, 31949 G. H. MANSFIELD fi a BASEBALL GAME Filed March 20, 1946INV ENT OR.

A 6.1 4% A M/VWQQ Patented Nov. 22, 1949 UNITED STATES T F FICE BASEBALLGAME George H: Mansfield, Cuyahoga Falls, bit);

Emma G. Mansfield executrix of said George H. Mansfield, deceasedApplication Mammal, 1946, Serial No. 655,729

2 Claims; 1

This invention relatesto amusement devices, especially to parlor devicesfor simulating the play of a well-known game, such as baseball,

Heretofore'a great variety of amusement-devices'have been provided whichattempt to simulate the action, excitement, and enjoyment of-the popularoutdoor games, such as baseball,- but the majority of such gamesprovideonly spinners, or cards for determining'the action of the game. Sincephysical action and skill are theieatu-res of baseball which led to itspresent popularity,- none of the spinner or chanc'etype of game reallymakes the parlor adaptation of the national sport; baseball, a verysatisfactory substitute for the real game. Or, if a ball is actuallstruck in the game, it requires too much space; or'is-unsateto play inthe parlor.

It is the object of'this invention to overcome the foregoing and otherobjections to known types of baseball ames and to provide a novel,exciting parlor baseball game closely paralleling'--the--real game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simulated baseball gamewherein the skill of the participants determines the results of" thegame.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simulated, parlorbaseball game which provides a maximum of' exercise and excitement forthe players.

Another object of the-invention is towpro'vide a parlor baseball gamethat can be :p1ayed by any number of players, for example, as manypersons as the regular outdoor game.

Yet another object is to provide a baseball game which may be playedwith safety in the parlor or other rooms of homes.

The foregoing objects of the invention, and other objects which willbecome apparent as the descriptionproceeds, are achieved by poviding aframe, or base having a replica of a baseball diamond thereon, a balltied to the frame for limited, free movement with relation thereto, aresilient support mounted on the frame for positioning the ballpreparatory to putting it in play, a back board or fence board carriedby the frame in spaced relation to the ball support, and means forknocking the ball off its support and towards the back board, which hasmeans thereon for engaging with the means tying the ball to the frameand thereby indicating what action is to be taken by the players due tosuch hitting of the ball.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had tothe accompanying 2 drawing which is ap'e'r'spective viewof a" base: ballgame embodying my invention;

More'specifically, the drawing shows a baseball game id'which includesbase-board, o'rrrame member il that has a replica oiabaseballdim' mondappearing thereon. The defensive team may be represented by figuresprinted on the base ii -or by actual movable cylindrical men I2, asdesired. The offensive team is represented by a plurality of men l2 thatare placed in a row on one side of the field,- as shown, to simulatetheir dugout; The men E2 are placed iii the batte'rs box and thenadvanced around the field, or re turned to-their dugout, dependent ontheir results when in action, as the game proceeds.

A bal1 it of suitable composition, such as that used in softballmanufacture, or, cor iveniently the ball can be of wood, and issecured byqa strong, light-weightcord M, or other adaptable means to thebase i i in the vicinity-of the pitohers box. A wooden button M may beused to facilitate connecting the cord to the base. The ball 93 isprepared for action by positioning it on one end of a resilient springit, the lower end of which is secured to the base in the vicinity ofhome plate. The upper end of the spring is normally of larger diameterthan the remain'der'ofrthe spring to-provide a ready seat'for the ballwhen preparing to putthe ball inplay.

An end-board, or. back-fence board I 6, made from plywood or othersatisfactory material, is secured to the base ll, as by being positionedin a slot formed therein, and it preferably extends upwardly from thebase at substantially a right angle thereto at the edge adjacent theoutfield of the ball diamond. Preferably the board [6 is removablyreceived in the slot or other holding means so that in storing orshipping the game the board is removed and positioned flat on the base.The board it has a plurality of notches ll out in its upper edge while:a plurality of apertures or cut-out sections 58 are 'formed in it. Boththe notches ii and the apertures lfi represent actions occurring in aball game with the apertures 53 representing more desirable actions,such as a home run, three base hit, double, and single, as indicated onthe drawing, since, as will be seen, it is more 'diificult to put theball l3 through an aperture than it is to associate the ball with anotch H by driving the ball over the top of the board It and having thestring 14 engage with a notch and suspend the ball over the board. Theactions represented by the notches, or by the solid portions of theboard 16 3 are best indicated by a printed notation thereof on theboard.

A .bat 24 of comparable size and composition to the remainder of thegame is provided to strike the ball l3 from its perch on the spring l5.The tie string l4 prevents the ball from flying away from the base H andbreaking any adjacent furnishings so that the game does not proveinjurious to any furniture or bric-a-brac in its vicinity.

I prefer to make the central aperture 18* of the board l6 represent ahome run so as to give the players a central target of appreciableworth. However, a ball striking against the solid portion of the boardH5, or not over the notched portion thereof ma be called an out or astrike. I prefer that such hits be strikes so that good control must beexercised by the player to obtain the reward of a base hit or he willsoon strike out.

In play, it will be seen that the player, or players, on one sideindividually take the bat in hand and carefully knock the ball 13towards the board 16. If the ball goes through one of the apertures 18,the string M clearly indicates which aperture the ball passed throughwhile the string engages with a notch I? after the ball is knocked overthe board Hi. When the resultant action is on a new player comes to batuntil he is retired and the team at bat changes, of course, with eachseries of three outs. Each team may have one or more players, as will beunderstood. A regular game of nine innings length may be played and ascore board is usually formed on the base If for noting the scoresproduced. It may be desirable to place a special slate board or othereasily cleaned board on the base H for use as a score board. Obviouslythe men l2 are moved onto and around the bases as the game is played andthis adds interest to the game. Men may be placed in the coaching boxesto give more realism to the game.

Tying the ball to the base not only renders the game parlor-safe but italso provides a novel and indisputable proof of the action to resultfrom any hit of the ball.

It will be seen that an exciting, skillful game is provided and that theobjects of the invention are realized.

While in accordance with the patent statutes, I have specificallyillustrated and described my invention, it will be understood that I amnot 4 limited thereto or thereby, but that the scope of my invention isdefined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement device comprising a substantiall rectangular framehaving a replica of a baseball diamond formed thereon, a baseball, aresilient spring support for said ball carried by said frame in thevicinity of home plate, flexible cord means secured to said ball and tosaid frame so as to permit free movement of said ball over the entirearea of said frame but to limit its movement away from said frame, boardmeans having a plurality of apertures therein, said board means beingassociated with the outfield end of said frame and extending upwardlytherefrom, said board means having notches formed in its upper surfacewith the notches representing Various actions in a baseball game as dothe apertures formed in said board, and bat means for knocking said balloff said support and through one of said apertures in said board, orover said board to suspend it over one of said notches by said flexiblecord means, or to some other point so as to simulate a baseball game bytaking the action indicated by such position of said ball.

2. In a parlor baseball device comprising a base having a ball supportthereon and a ball secured thereto by a tethering means; a back board,said back board having a plurality of apertures therein for receivingand passing said ball therethrough and having a plurality of immediatelyadjacent notches formed in its upper edge for engagement with the meanstethering said ball to said base, said notches and apertures all havingindicia associated therewith for an action in a baseball game.

GEORGE H. MANSFIELD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 429,585 Reifi June 3, 1890536,176 Austin et al Mar. 26, 1895 697,574: Walenta Apr. 15, 1902819,212 Filler May 1, 1906 1,087,587 Kennedy Feb. 1'7, 191% 1,511,921Vance Oct. 14, 1924

